The ease of cleaning bare bottom tanks

[n8rdms]

I plan on doing a BB tank

[Allwin]

how normally water is drained out of aquarium other than siphon tube?

[nemo24]

Changed my mind will do BB tank when i start up a discus tank

[yohcnub]

me too.. BB tank for may discus tank.

[ajoshi9194]

Hi guys,
Well I own a Beautiful Discus fish tank, and have a lot of plastic plants, so to say a heavy jungle theme is setup. I have semi fine sand...
When I siphon the water out of the tank (I have that large siphon pipe), I usually insert it deep in the sand, and it actually extracts all the dirt from within. Since I am working I dont get time to do this daily, but only on weekends.
I have my discus for more than a year now, and I have not come across any health related issues for my discus. Besides the tank looks superb and frankly the Discus fish also enjoy hiding behind the plantation setup.
All I am saying is, BB is easy maintenance no doubt, but even this setup is good to look and fun for Discus, and still easy to maintain. I feed my fishes 3 times a day.

[Andrew157]

Thanks for all the info!!! After reading through this thread I redid my two flowerhorn's tanks to bare bottom and they REALLY seem to like it... Much easier to clean and maintain as well! Once I do get discus, it'll certainly be much easier to clean the tank consistently!

[pmkappy]

On Craig's list, under Farm & Garden, are food safe 60g pickle barrels.( plastic or nylon, very sturdy with a twist off lid) Also 270g food safe totes. I am in Charleston, SC but check your local Craig's listing. Paul K.

[Willie]

No matter how clean a planted tank looks, it's actually filthy. If you just look at a BB tank 24 hours after the last big water change, you'll see all the poop and crud that's sitting on the glass bottom. It's there in a planted tank, but you just can't see it. Most of us started with planted tanks, with gravel, then with sand...then we get it!

What I like most of all about BB tanks is that you can drain out 100% of the water before refilling. (Be sure to turn off your heater!) The fish may flop on the bottom but they won't get scratched up. Mine gets this treatment everyday.

Willie

[koiman61]

Hello Carol, I am getting things ready before I order my discus. I was wondering where you got the adapter for the faucet, and if you know the brand name? How many gallons do those barrels hold?

Mark

[LizStreithorst]

Mark, Carol hasn't kept Discus for years. This is one of her old wonderful threads.

You can get an adapter like that at any hardware store but if you buy a Python comes with one in the bag. I've never seen storage barrels like Carol's before. Some people use food grade plastic barrels that you can find used for fairly cheap. Others use heavy duty Brute trash cans. They each hold around 55 gallons.

[MayaL]

Aged water is pumped back into the tank from the storage barrels. See how I use the Aqua Clear lid to hold the end of the hose into the filter to refill this tank?

I am confused. What propels the aged water to the tank? Did she use Aqua Clear to do the job or did she have a pond pump inside the barrels? Can anyone explain it to me please? I just got 75g and I have no idea how to do this.

[ScottW]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009...x8L&ref=plSrch

That is what I use and have a 55 gallon brute barrel just to warm my water for a few hours to get it to 83-84 degrees. My waters pH doesnt change so I dont need to age it.

[LizStreithorst]

Those Wayne sump pumps are work horses...A great choice for someone with just a few big tanks.

[ScottW]

I love my Wayne pump! I go 60 plus gallon water changes on less than 30 minutes! Thats vacuuming the bottom also.

[prakash.dudharejiya]

I love the look of sand in a tank but I totally agree after looking at what I pull off the bottom of my discus tank in one day WOW
I also think a BB tank can be made into a nice display tank by adding alot of driftwood and a 3D back ground
Has anybody tried making a raised bottom made of plexiglass or tempered glass held together with aquarium safe silicone and filled with sand - the look of sand without getting debri in it - probally a dumb idea - but Iam curious if anyone has played around with anything like that

I am new here can any one tell me what means bb